Monday, June 11, 2012

Slow Down - Teakha, Hong Kong

Masala tea and roselle scone

Since I last counted, no less than three major international publications have written about Sheung Wan's Tai Ping Shan Street as the city's coolest enclave. And it is, dotted with art galleries, studios, cafes and independent boutiques among air-conditioning repair shops and tiny temples. It just makes me wish I bought an apartment here four years ago when I started wandering the area at lunchtime. (Mom, are you reading this? Remember you said no?!)I first met Nana, who owns Teakha (and is at the shop most days) at a blogger's gathering organised by Josh, aka Chaxiubao - if anyone tells you they know all about the early days on Hong Kong food blogging and they don't know Chaxiubao, they're lying. It wasn't too long ago, but Josh wanted to know who these "new" blogging people were, and ta-da, I got to meet Hong Kong blogging royalty! Nana has a fab blog too, but together with Josh, they had a food show called Wok with Nana, where they went and met people making food in traditional ways, and Nana would teach you how to cook it at home. But now that Nana has opened Teakha, I don't think they have the time anymore - which is a shame, because it was such a good show!

Teakha before the renovations in April (a terrace has been added)

Teakha is all about slow living, appreciating things made by artisans, living sustainably and so on. It's on a quiet little corner off the street, with a few outdoor seats on a tiny terrace, and a communal table inside. Now that word's gone round about how good Nana's tea and scones are, it fills up incredibly quickly, but somehow, when you arrive in this little pocket, it never seems cramped. If you hit your next door neighbour's elbow, it's okay - you smile, say excuse me, and carry on chatting and drinking your tea; it's okay, because it feels good to be there, whatever happens.

On the menu are teas from around the Asian region, and each cup is made meticulously to order. My masala chai, for example, was made on the stove when I ordered it. There are also things like Hong Kong-style milk tea, as well as more "straightforward" brews from Taiwan, Nepal and beyond. Food-wise, there's a big breakfast and some of the aforementioned scones - which are truly excellent. It has the exact right balance of crumbles, moisture and richness. Too many times have I had scones in this town that were either dry as sawdust or hard enough for building foundations. The green tea cheese cake gets a lot of raves too, but I was just there for something light that day - I know I'll be back anyway!

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